Paint is more than just color it is the soul of a painting. From bold oils to transparent watercolors, every type of paint offers a unique experience and effect.
Paint is your voice on the canvas. Each type offers its own vibe acrylics are flexible, oils are rich, watercolor whisper, and gouache shouts in bold tones. Explore, play, and discover what works best for your unique artistic language.
🎨 How to Choose the Right Paint for You
Ask yourself:
- What surface will I paint on?
- Do I want a fast or slow drying time?
- Am I after transparency or opacity?
- What kind of finish do I prefer?
- Do I want to layer, blend, or use bold strokes?
🎨 Acrylic Paint: The Artist’s Go-To Medium
Acrylic paint is made from pigment particles suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. It is water-soluble when wet, but becomes water-resistant once dry, forming a flexible and durable film.
🖌️ Why Artists Love Acrylics
- Fast drying: Great for layering quickly or finishing pieces in a single session.
- Versatile techniques: Can be used like watercolor or built up like oil.
- Easy cleanup: No solvents or harsh chemicals needed.
- Budget-friendly: Student-grade options make them accessible to everyone.
- Mixable: Easily blends with mediums to alter texture, drying time, or sheen.
🎨 Techniques to Try with Acrylics
- Dry brushing – For texture and light highlights.
- Glazing – Apply thin transparent layers for depth.
- Impasto – Use thick paint or gel mediums for a 3D look.
- Pouring – Mix with pouring medium for fluid, abstract art.
- Scumbling – Scrub a light layer over dry paint for soft effects.
Top Indian Acrylic Paint Brands Every Artist Should Know
1. Camlin (now Kokuyo Camlin)
- Best For: Beginners to intermediate artists
- Popular Line: Camlin Artist Acrylic Colours
- Why it stands out: Widely available, budget-friendly, good pigment load for the price.
- Pros: Smooth application, vibrant colors, student- and artist-grade lines available.
- Cons: Slightly less pigmented than international artist-grade brands.
2. Fevicryl (Pidilite)
- Best For: Hobby artists, crafters, students
- Popular Line: Fevicryl Acrylic Colours
- Why it stands out: Extremely popular for fabric and craft-based acrylic work.
- Pros: Affordable, non-toxic, available in metallics and specialty shades.
- Cons: Not ideal for fine art on canvas—more for decorative or functional art.
3. Brustro by (Creative Hands)
- Best For: Serious hobbyists and emerging professionals
- Popular Line: Brustro Artists’ Acrylic Colours
- Why it stands out: High-quality paints that compete with international brands at a reasonable price.
- Pros: Rich pigmentation, good texture, smooth blendability.
- Cons: Slightly more expensive than Camlin or Fevicryl but better quality.
4. Himalaya Fine Art
- Best For: Local artists and fine art students
- Why it stands out: Niche but respected among certain artist circles in India.
- Pros: Decent coverage and affordability.
- Cons: Limited availability and color selection.
5. Sitaram Stationers’ House Brands (e.g., Artist’s Acrylic)
- Best For: Advanced students and budget-conscious professionals
- Why it stands out: High-quality private-label offerings from a trusted Indian art supplier.
- Pros: Artist-quality paints at local prices.
- Cons: Primarily available online or in major cities like Delhi or Mumbai.
🛒 Where to Buy in India
- Online: Amazon India, Flipkart, Itsy Bitsy, Hobby Ideas, Sitaram Stationers, Creative Hands
- Offline: Art supply stores in major cities like Mumbai (Art Lounge), Delhi (Sitaram), Bangalore (Venus Traders)
https://www.amazon.in/Acrylic-Paints/s?k=Acrylic+Paints
🖼️ Oil Paints: The Classic Choice for Timeless Art
Oil paints consist of pigments suspended in a drying oil, usually linseed oil. This oil acts as a binder, allowing the pigment to spread smoothly and dry slowly over time. Other oils like walnut, poppyseed, or safflower are also used for specific properties like slower drying or reduced yellowing.
🎨 Why Artists Love Oil Paints
- Exceptional blendability – Colors merge beautifully for realistic shading.
- Long working time – You can revise, adjust, and layer over days.
- Vibrant, lasting color – The pigments age well and stay brilliant.
- Textural freedom – Apply thick like impasto or thin for delicate glazes.
- Classic aesthetic – Nothing quite matches the richness of an oil painting.
💡 Tips for Beginners
- Start small—try painting a study or still life before a full canvas.
- Use fewer colors and learn how to mix instead of buying dozens of tubes.
- Let each layer dry before adding more to avoid muddy results.
- Don’t overthink—oil paint allows for trial and error.
🖌️ Popular Oil Painting Techniques
- Wet-on-wet – Paint is applied in one session, while wet.
- Glazing – Transparent layers create depth and luminosity.
- Scumbling – A thin, dry layer lightly brushed on for texture or highlights.
- Impasto – Thick, textured applications for expressive effects.
- Underpainting – A monochrome layer that defines value structure.
🖌️ Top Oil Paint Brands (Available in India & Worldwide)
- Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colour – Excellent pigment and consistency.
- Camlin Kokuyo Artist Oil Colours – Trusted Indian brand; good for students.
- Daler-Rowney Georgian Oils – Great balance of quality and affordability.
- Rembrandt by Royal Talens – Professional-grade, buttery texture.
- Gamblin – Artist-grade, known for eco-conscious practices and modern mediums.
https://www.kokuyocamlin.com/camel/paints/artist-oil-colours
3. Watercolors: Light, Transparent, and Expressive
Watercolors consist of finely ground pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder, typically gum. When diluted with water, they produce soft washes and glowing transparency that is difficult to replicate with other mediums.
🌈 Why Artists Love Watercolors
- Transparency & Glow: Light reflects through layers of pigment, creating luminous effects.
- Expressive & Spontaneous: Watercolor flows freely, often leading to beautiful, unexpected textures.
- Minimal Materials: No need for solvents or bulky tools perfect for travel or quick sketches.
- Reactivatable: Paints can be rewet on the palette or even on paper, making touch-ups easier.
- Eco-friendly: Water-based and low-waste.
💡 Tips for Beginners
- Use a limited palette and mix your own shades.
- Don’t be afraid of white space watercolor thrives on the light of the paper.
- Practice controlling water-to-paint ratio it is key to mastering the medium.
- Embrace imperfections happy accidents often lead to the best results!
🎨 Watercolor Techniques to Explore
- Wet-on-wet: Apply paint to wet paper for soft edges and gradients.
- Wet-on-dry: Sharper edges and more control.
- Dry brush: Creates texture and scratchy effects.
- Glazing: Layer transparent colors for depth and richness.
- Lifting: Use a clean, damp brush or paper towel to lighten or remove pigment.
🖌️ Top Watercolor Paint Brands
- Camlin Kokuyo Artists’ Water Colours – Great student-grade option.
- Brustro Artists’ Water Colours – Reliable for intermediate artists.
- Winsor – Premium artist-grade paints with exceptional pigment load.
- Mission Gold – Vivid, creamy, and beginner-friendly.
- Sakura Koi – Affordable pan sets, great for on-the-go sketching.
4.🖌️ Gouache: The Bold Watercolor
Gouache is a water-based paint made from pigment, gum arabic (like watercolor), and an added chalk or white pigment to increase its opacity. This gives gouache its signature matte and rich color coverage.
🎨 Why Artists Love Gouache
- Opaque and vibrant: Offers solid coverage with a matte, non-reflective finish.
- Correctable: Mistakes can be painted over just like acrylic.
- Portable and clean: Just water is needed, and it rewets like watercolor.
- Versatile: Works great for detailed illustrations, flat color fields, posters, and even fine art.
- Photographs beautifully: The matte surface avoids glare perfect for scanning or reproductions.
🖌️ Gouache Painting Techniques
- Flat Washes: Great for backgrounds or uniform shapes.
- Layering: Paint light over dark or vice versa—flexibility is a major strength.
- Dry Brush: Add texture or fine details without overblending.
- Diluted Washes: Mimic watercolor effects when thinned.
- Lifting: Reactivate dry paint with water and blot to remove or adjust.
🖌️ Top Gouache Paint Brands
- Camlin Kokuyo Gouache – Budget-friendly and widely available in India.
- Brustro Gouache – Great quality for students and hobbyists.
- Himi/Miya Jelly Gouache – Trendy and colorful with jelly-like consistency.
- Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache – Professional-grade with excellent pigment.
5. Specialty Paints: Metallics, Neon, and Beyond
- Best for: Mixed media, decorative painting, accents
- Surface compatibility: Varies
- Drying time: Varies
- Finish: Glossy, shimmery, or glowing
🧴 Final Tips for Paint Lovers
- Quality matters: Artist-grade paints have better pigment concentration and longevity.
- Label literacy: Look for lightfastness, opacity, and pigment codes on the label.
- Experiment: Don’t be afraid to mix media you might love the results.
Thought: Paint teaches us to observe and to let go. To blend what was with what could be.
It doesn’t ask for perfection just intention, and to begin.
Because once you’ve touched a surface with color, it’s never the same again and neither are you.
blogsbyAish